Monster
by ChamaYokai
Summary: After getting used to being around his team mates and new found friends, it comes as a hard blow when Naruto is bullied by the other villagers again for being the 'monster' that he is.


It was reaching dark when I headed out. My head was still in a fog from what happened earlier… It's not that I wasn't used to that sort of thing happening, but not usually when my team is there. I mean it wouldn't have been so bad if they all hadn't stared at me afterword like _I _had done something wrong. The rest of the day with them was full of catching them glaring at me like something was wrong with me.

I knew I should have passed eating with the team today; I just had a gut feeling about it. But the idea that Sakura actually wanted to spend time with me was just too irresistible. She seemed like she wanted to just spend the day with the team, and Sasuke actually agreed to go for once. I couldn't pass that up!

Everything would have been fine if we went to ichiraku ramen like usual. People are nice there. It's the one place I can go and usually avoid situations like what happened today. But sakura insisted on going to some fancy place. I mean sure, it wasn't _really _fancy, but it was more expensive then ichiraku, and totally not what I'm used to.

Luckily we managed to finish eating without a problem. It was when we were paying for it that the issue arose. A few older teens apparently recognized me as we were waiting for the cashier to return with our checks. Not only that, but even though they weren't shinobi, they knew more than they should. Most people simply glare or make rude comments to me, but these guys took it upon themselves to take it a step further.

I wasn't aware of their presence until they were directly behind us. "Naruto! It is him!" I heard one of them say.

"Holy shit your right! I guess no one else would wear a stupid orange jumpsuit like that." Another one said. By that point I turned around to them angry and confused, prepared to holler back at them if needed. I did my best to appear strong and unafraid, but It was almost impossible to look intimidating, being that they were all a full foot taller than me.

I could see that Sakura and Sasuke have both turned to see what the interruption was as well, but I was too angry to see their expressions. "Hey what are you doing in a nice place like this, _Naruto_?" The third boy asked, saying my name with venom. The three of them all looked down at me, expecting an answer.

It had been a while since I have had this type of opposition from the villagers. I wasn't surprised by the situation, but in a way I guess I had been getting complacent with the new found kindness I found recently in people like kakashi and my teammates. This was like a reminder of what I really was; a weight bringing me back down to reality.

All of them glared at me with that all too familiar icy glare; one that always stings down to my core. But I was used to it, and I was far from crumbling because of it.

"What's it to you?" I yelled up at them, puffing up my chest. They were far from being intimidated though, only reacting to my question by snickering.

"As mouthy as ever" One of them said. "Shah, the idiot is always asking for trouble." Another says back.

"We just want to make sure you aren't ruining the dining experience for everyone else." The tallest one in front says, leaning forward towards me as he says this. I can smell the alcohol on his breath as he does this, and instead of yelling back like I planned, I am forced to lean away to avoid the smell.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Sakura piped up, sounding slightly defensive. The teens looked at her for a brief moment, before glaring back down at me again.

"Don't worry girly, we'll take care of this brat for you" The teen said as he leaned upright once again. He then raised his sleeves in an attempt to be intimidating.

"Listen you-" I start saying before I get interrupted by another one of the teens.

"Hey luthor, we don't _have _to kick the kid's ass… Not if we get him to leave on his own." He sounds slightly less angry as the tallest one, but the spite in his voice is far from comforting.

"What do you say, _Naruto_?" He asked, looking down at me. "Nobody wants a monster like you around here, so get lost!"

I would have yelled back, throwing hurdles of insults and venom back at him quickly, but what he said made me pause.

Monster.

That word… It always hits hard when they call me that. I couldn't help but to stare at him, that word filling my head, stinging and ripping me apart. It really had been a while since this sort of thing had happened; normally I don't let it get to me this badly. But now, all I can do is stare at him, allowing the insult to do its damage.

He seemed to hesitate at my silence, waiting for a few moments before sighing. "Well looks like the kid won't leave." He said with mock disappointment. "Looks like we'll have to throw him out!"

With another dark chuckle, the tallest one, 'Luthor' apparently, took a step forward. Logically, I should have taken a step back, but I was still frozen. I can see him raise his arm and ball his fist, I could only assume to attack me.

Before he can deliver the blow however, Sasuke, who I totally forgot was there, launched forward and landed a powerful kick to the teens face, sending him flying back. I watched as he thuds to the ground several feet away, his friends turning to see, horrified.

This was the last thing I expected to happen; it took me a few moments to register exactly what I was seeing. The two other teens quickly rushed over to their friend, kneeling down and helping lift him up slightly. I can see luthor's face contort in pain, blood rushing out of his nose.

Sasuke was standing in front of me now in a defensive position. I was still shocked at what had just happened, and I wasn't quite able to register just what exactly Sasuke was doing. After a few moments of staring however, I was able to realize that he was defending me.

"You guys are the ones that need to get lost." Sasuke said with a mix of utter confidence and irritation.

"Just who the hell do you think you are?" One of luthor's friends hollered back at him, still helping his fallen friend up.

"Hey… that's the uchiha kid!" The other said quieter, staring at Sasuke wide-eyed. His friend seemed to register this at once, and his anger was replaced by the same surprised expression.

After a few moments of shuffling to their feet, the three teens left, being sure to shoot a glare my way before leave. The three of us watch as they leave, neither of us saying anything.

Not only was it embarrassing to have Sasuke protect me like that, but manager showed up right after and blamed me for everything. I am officially never allowed to step foot in his restaurant again, though he didn't bother saying anything about the boys who started it.

But the worst part was having to face Sasuke and Sakura afterword. I expected Sakura to yell at me for causing so much trouble. But instead, she kept asking me 'what that was all about' and stuff like that. What was I supposed to tell her? Normally I could play it off like it was nothing. But this time I couldn't help but receded into silence, which probably made her frustration grow.

I wanted to put on that front for her; to pretend it was nothing and that I was fine, but every time I tried, I was sure I failed miserably.

Being around Sasuke was even more unbearable. He didn't say anything, or ask anything. Instead he just stared at me. And it wasn't his typical, angry scowl either. I could see the confusion in his gaze; his eyes searching my face, reading my expressions and emotions, probably searching for an answer to the seemingly random opposition we just experienced. It's like he thought he would be able to find the answer in my face.

Finally it got to the point where I made an excuse to leave; more training. I was, however, 100% sure that they knew I just wanted to get away from them. At the time I didn't really care, but now I was really regretting not trying harder to put on that front. This was the first time they had seen me be so affected by something, and I'm sure it shocked them a little.

But I was going to do my best to act like nothing happened when I see them again.

I found myself in the midst of the forest again. _Shit, I didn't mean to go this way! _ I thought to myself, stopping atop one of the huge branches of the trees. I paused to look around, trying to gather my bearings. It looked like I was pretty deep into the woods; at least 20 min away from home.

With an irritated sigh, I plopped down on the branch. "UHG! Perfect. Another thing to make this day better." I yelled. I couldn't believe I was so deep in thought that I didn't even notice the fact that I was in the woods.

I really didn't want to be out any longer, but I just couldn't be bothered to get going just yet. I needed a few moments to clear my head. Obviously I can't do it while walking home.

Ok ok, All I have to do is just act like nothing happened. If they ask, ill just tell them that I was just mad I didn't kick his ass myself. They should believe that. It's not like they care THAT much about me to really press the matter. I sighed again.

"Warn out from training?" I heard someone say. I jumped at the sudden noise; hopping to my feet. Before I had a chance to react, however, I felt my foot miss landing on the branch slightly, causing it to slip. But before I could completely fall, something grabbed the color of my jacket, stopping me just in time.


End file.
